A powerful earthquake hit the Khait area of Tajikistan in 1949 and set in motion one of the deadliest disasters the Pamir mountains have ever seen. The shaking was only the start, because the tremor unleashed a massive flood and mudslide that tore through settlements in the valleys below. Thousands of lives were lost, as the torrent left residents with almost no chance to flee. The event is recorded as one of the most destructive natural disasters in the history of the Pamir mountain region. Estimates of the death toll have varied sharply, with counts ranging from roughly 7,000 to as high as 28,000. The wide range says something about how hard it was, in that era, to account for everyone the disaster buried. What happened at Khait also showed that in steep mountain country the quake itself is often only the first danger.